Can opener

ABSTRACT

A can opener having a readily detachable cutting mechanism which includes a lever supporting a cutter which cutter serves as a latching means to retain the cutting mechanism assembled to the can opener. The lever and cutter are both supported for rotational movement on a stub shaft detachably supporting the cutting mechanism with respect to the can opener. A simplified drive mechanism between the motor and can rotating wheel is provided. The motor and the shaft for supporting the can rotating wheel are supported on a flexible plate which deforms to compensate for variations in can dimensions.

United States Patent 1191 Ponczek et a1.

CAN OPENER [73] Assignee: Sunbeam Corporation, Chicago, Ill.

[21] Appl. No.: 161,002

1451 Oct. 16, 1973 Primary ExaminerOthell M. Simpson AssistantExaminer-Gary L. Smith Attorney-George R. Clark [57] ABSTRACT A canopener having a readily detachable cutting mechanism which includes alever supporting a cutter which cutter serves as a latching means toretain the cutting mechanism assembled to the can opener. The

[52] 1.1.3. C1. /4 R, 30/15 lever and cutter are both supported forrotational [51] lint. C1 B67b 7/38 movement on a stub h ft detachablySupporting the [58] Field of Search 30/4 R, 8, 8.5, 14, cuttingmechanism with respect to the can opener. A 30/15, 345 simplified drivemechanism between the motor and can rotating wheel is provided. Themotor and the 1 References Cited shaft for supporting the can rotatingwheel are sup- UNITED STATES PATENTS ported on a flexible plate whichdeforms to compen- 2,204,368 6/1940 Kublin 30/85 Sate for variations incan dimensions- 2,997,785 8/1961 Pinettc 30/4 R l l 11 D F. 3,156,04411/1964 Congdon..... 30/411 5 Calms 'awmg 3,254,406 6/1966 Hubrich 30/4R 9 .10? if if l l 75a a 55' if 751: 1 756 55k Y 77 55a 15 74? 109 7 172 10 *Zu- 1' i 5.9 s

Patented Get. 16, 1973 3,765,085

4 Sheets-Sheet, 2

a amcz Patented Oct. 16, 1973 4 Sheets-She et, 3

jnve CAN OPENER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In recent years the motoroperated electric can opener has become one of the most popular andcommercially important, small electric appliances. Since it is arelatively simple appliance, it is relatively easy for smallmanufacturers to design and tool to manufacture an electric can opener.Accordingly, the field has become very competitive with a large numberof manufacturers sharing the four or five million unit a year can openermarket in the United States. Because of the vigorous competition in thefield, pricing and consequently the cost of manufacture have become veryimportant. In addition to the severe price competition there have alsobeen improvements in quality and features incorporated in the currentcan openers.

While at one time only the most expensive can openers were automatic tothe extent that the can opener would, once it had been started, continueto open the can while unattended and terminate the operation when thelid or cover had been severed from the can. Competition has been; suchthat now even the low cost can openers include this automatic feature.

Another important feature is the provision for detachingthe cutterassembly from the can opener so that it may be easily washed to removeaccumulations of food. While the cutter removal may be accomplished inmany different ways, it is important that the means for detaching andreassembling the cutter mechanism be simple and easily operated by thehousewife without the need fortools. Experience has shown that the earlycan openers which included screws and small clips for retaining thecutter wheel or plow type cutter were easily lost and discouraged thehousewife from removing the cutter for cleaning purposes. The presentpreferred approach involves some type of push button mechanism, whichpermits removal of the cutter mechanism without providing ornecessitating separate screws, clips or other assembly means. The pushbutton type of release for the cutter mechanism must, however, beinexpensive from a manufacturing cost standpoint or else the can openerwill be overpriced and unsalable.

Another basic design problem in electric can openers is that ofproviding means in the can opening mechanism to compensate for thedifferences in can dimensions which normally are encountered. The conventional can opening mechanism includes a rotating feed wheel whichengages the under edge of the upper lip of the can. The can is held inposition against the'serrated feed wheel by the cutter, which during thecuttingoperation is moved into overlapping relationship with the feedwheel. In this overlapping position the cutter extends through the cancover adjacent the inner surface of the lip at a point adjacent theengagement of the feed wheel with the outer portion of the lip. As thecan is rotated by the serrated feed wheel the cutter makes a continuouscut on the cover or lid until it is severed from the can.

The dimensions of the can lip determine the optimum relative distancebetween the end of the feed wheel and the overlapping cutter during thecan opening operation. In order to compensate for the differencesbetween thick and thin lips many of the higher quality prior art canopeners have included spring biasing means on either the'cutter or thefeed wheel to compensate for these dimensional variations in the cans.

Such spring biasing means have been expensive and added significantly tothe cost of such can openers. However, when the means for compensatingfor such can dimensional variations have been omitted, there is aconsiderable sacrifice in the performance of the can opener. The canopener tends to stall in some instances when the can lip is too thickresulting in stripped gears or burned out motors. If the spacing betweenthe feed wheel and the cutter is too great there is a tendency for thecutter to make an uneven cut resulting in slivers cut from the can whichmay drop into the food or the cutter may leave sharp slivers orprotuberances on the can which may injure the person handling the openedcan. Accordingly, it is of great commercial importance to provide aninexpensive means to compensate for the variations in can dimensions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides an improved canopener which is simple to manufacture and at the same time includesquality features which have heretofore been available only in morecomplicated and expensive can openers. The invention involves asimplified drive connection between the shaded pole electric motor andthe shaft which supports the can rotating wheel. A two stage gearreduction is employed with the intermediate gear supported on a stubshaft carried by the motor field. The distance between the stub shaftand the feed wheel supporting shaft is controlled by separate bracketwhich is located close to the plane of the reduction gear train.

The cutting mechanism and the can rotating wheel as well as the motorare mounted on a flexible plate which forms the front wall of thehousing for the can opener. The flexure in this plate permits the cutterto deflect with respect to the can rotating wheel so that variations inthe can lip dimensions are accommodated with no sacrifice in theperformance of the can opener. The supporting plate deflects within itselastic limit allowing the distance between the cutter and the feedwheel to vary depending on the thickness of the can lip while at thesame time maintaining the cutter positioned closely adjacent theinterior wall of the can even in connection with cans having relativelythin lips. By utilizing the flexibility of the supporting plate toaccommodate this dimensional variation, it is possibe to mount thecutting mechanism and the can rotating wheel in a simple and inexpensivemanner with respect to the plate.

- I The various elements of the drive for the feed wheel including themotor, the reduction gearing and the feed wheel shaft itself aresupported on the above described metal plate utilizing plastic bosses,projections and the like which have been molded integrally with thesupport plate. In addition, the outer or front side of the support plateis provided with molded pins and abutments which engage and support thecan during its to tary movement. The resulting plate, with itsassociated molded parts forms a decorative portion of the housing aswell as performing the many functions outlined above.

The cutter mechanism comprises a very simple part which is readilydetachable from a supporting pin or stub shaft carried by the platedescribed above. The

cutter mechanism includes a lever which is pivotally received on thestub shaft with a simple plow type cutter being supported with respectto the lever by the same stub shaft. The cutter is spring biased againstrotational and slidable movement by a single spring. A push button isprovided to deflect the cutter which also serves as a latch to retainthe cutting assembly on the stub shaft and assembled to the can openerhousing. The spring in exerting a rotational bias on the can cuttercontributes to the power driven entry of the cutter into the can lidwhen the motor is actuated by the cutting mechanism lever. The continuedrotation of the can at this point causes the reaction force against thecutter to maintain the lever in engagement with the motor switch therebycontinuing the operation of the can opener until the cover has beensevered from the can.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a functionallyimproved and mechanically simplified can opener.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improvedcan opener having the motor and can opening mechanism mounted on aflexible supporting plate.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved canopener wherein a flexible metal supporting plate with plastic bearingsand support means from thereon carries the motor and the can openingmechanism as well as the associated reduction gear.

It is still a further object of the present invention to provide animproved can opener having a simplified drive mechanism wherein there isa single gear reduction between the motor frame and the can rotatingwheel supporting shaft with a separate frame member to control thedistance between the gear supporting shafts.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a simple andreadily removable cutting mechanism for a can opener.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improvedcutting mechanism in which a cutter is movably supported with respect tothe operating lever with the cutter serving as a latch means todetachably connect the cutting mechanism with respect to the can openerhousing.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improvedcutting mechanism wherein the cutter and operating lever are supportedfor pivotal movement together but the pivotal support mounts the cutterdirectly so that the substantial forces produced in the cutter duringthe opening of a can are not transmitted through the lever.

Still a further object of the present invention is to provide animproved cutting mechanism which is carried by stub shaft with the leverand cutter being pivotally mounted on the stub shaft and removable as anassembly with the cutter serving as a latch to retain the assembly inposition on the shaft.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent as the following description proceeds and the features ofnovelty which characterize the invention will be pointed out withparticularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of thisspecification.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a canopener embodying my invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged rear plan view of the front housing member orsupport plate of the can opener of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 of FIG.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken substantially alongline 4-4 of FIG.'1;

FIG. 5 is a rear view of the front housing member or support plate ofFIG. 2 shown with the motor and gearing assembled thereto;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the top portion of the canopener of FIG. I viewed from the front with portions thereof cut away toexpose the cutter;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the cutter mechanism taken along line 77of FIG. 6 with the cutter removed;

FIG. 8 is an elevational view of the cutter shown removed from thecutting mechanism;

FIG. 9 is a front elevational view of the rear housing portion;

FIG. 10 is a rear elevational view of the front cover plate of thecutting mechanism; and

FIG. 1 l is a front elevational view of the lever portion of the cuttingmechanism.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings,there is shown in FIG. 1 a combined can opener and knife sharpenerdesignated generally by reference numeral 11. The can opener 11 isconventional insofar as it includes a housing 12 which encloses a motor13 which drives through a gear reduction 14 a feed wheel shaft 15 whichsupports on its outer end a serrated can rotating or feed wheel 16.

Cooperating with the feed wheel 16 to open or cut the lid of a can is acutting mechanism 18. The cutting mechanism 18 includes a pivotallymounted, manually operated lever 19 which supports a plow type cutter20. The cutter 20 is movable between the retracted or load position withthe lever 19 in a generally vertical position and a cutting position asshown in FIG. 4 in which it overlaps the feed wheel 16 and the lever 19extends generally horizontally.

The housing 12 is made up of two basicparts, one being a box likeportion 22 and a front plate 23. The front plate 23 may be designatedthe support plate since it carries all the mechanism of the can openerincluding the motor 13, the feed wheel shaft 15 and the cuttingmechanism 18. In addition, the front plate serves as a closure for afront opening 24 formed in the box like housing portion 22. Thus thefront plate 23 and the box like portion 22 cooperate to form anenclosure 25 within which the motor and reduction gearing are received.

The box like housing portion 22 which is best shown in FIG. 9 is made ofan inexpensive styrene plastic material since it performs littlefunction except to enclose the mechanism carried by the front plate 23.The portion 22 is also formed with a forwardly projecting base 26 whichprovides the necessary stability for the can opener when a can isreceived between the cutter 20 and the feed wheel 16 and force is beingapplied by the operator downwardly against the lever 19. Although theinterior of the housing forming the enclosure 25 is generallyrectangular, there is provided an interior somewhat L shaped wall 27which provides a forwardly facing box like cord receiving pocket 28.Thus a power cord 29 enters the pocket 28 through an opening 30 wherethe excess cord is coiled as shown in FIG. 9. The front opening in thepocket 28 is closed by the front plate 23 and an opening 31 in wall 27is provided for the cord 29 to extend from pocket 28 into the chamber 25for connection to the motor 13. The opening 30 is of such size thatsurplus cord length may be pushed up into the pocket 28 and stored thereif it is not needed to reach the nearest electrical outlet.

The portion 22 is also formed with a rearwardly projecting appendage 32which serves to enclose a knife sharpener or grinding wheel 33. Theappendage 32 is merely of suitable size to enclose the wheel 33 andincludes angles slots 34 and 35 which are adapted to receive knifeblades and guide them into proper engagement with the opposite faces ofthe grinding wheel 33.

The grinding wheel 33 is supported on the rearwardly extending end ofmotor shaft 36. Also supported on the shaft 36 and inwardly of thegrinding wheel 33 is a fan 37 which circulates air across the motor 13and outwardly through a downwardly facing opening 38 as best shown inFIG. 4. A fiber baffle wall 39 is mounted within the enclosure 25 alongback wall of housing portion 22 in order to prevent the debris from theknife sharpening in the appendage 32 from being deposited in the motor13 and the other mechanism enclosed within the enclosure 25. The baffle39 is provided with an opening 40 through which the motor cooling air iscirculated. The motor 13 is a shaded pole motor having a generallysquare laminated field 41 on which a coil 42 is supported. An armature43 is carried by the motor shaft 36. Suitable electrical connections arenot shown but are made from the cord 29 through a switch 44 to the coil42, thus when the switch 44 is closed the motor 13 will be energized todrive the feed wheel 16 through the reduction gearing 14.

The reduction gearing includes two reduction stages having a pinion 45formed on the motor shaft 36 which pinion engages a gear 46. The gear 46is secured integrally to a pinion'47 which is supported on a stub shaft48 which is press fitted into an opening in field 41 as best shown inFIG. 4. The pinion 47 drives a large stamped gear 49 which is secured tothe rearwardly projecting end of the shaft 15. Accordingly, the motor 13drives through pinion 45, gear 46, pinion 47 and gear 49 to rotate thefeed wheel 16 at a relatively low speed.

The front plate or supporting plate 23 is a generally rectangular, flatplate formed of a resilient steel material and having openings stampedtherein through which nylon material molded integrally thereto extendsoutwardly from either side of the plate. At the bottom of the plate 23there is a forwardly'extending ledge or abutment 50 which is intended toengage the lower edge of heavy cans and support them as they are rotatedby the can opener mechanism. Positioned inwardly on the other side ofthe plate 22 from the abutment 50 are lower bosses 51 and an upper boss52. One of the lower bosses 51 is positioned to receive an assemblyscrew 53 which secures the housing portion 22 and the front plate 23together as is best shown in FIG. 4. The upper portion of plate 23 isformed with an additional series of molded nylon portions including abearing support 55, motor support bosses 56, a switch support block 57,upper assembly bosses 58 and forwardly projecting can support portions59 as-are best shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The boss 52 and two motor supportbosses 56 receive assembly screws which extend through the field 41 intothreaded engagement with the bosses. This provides a simple andeffective means for mounting the motor 13 with respect to the housing12.

The feed wheel shaft 15 is supported for rotation on the bearing support55. The bearing support as viewed axially as in FIG. 2 includes acentral cylindrical hub 55a within which the shaft 15 is journaled. Inaddition, there are outwardly radiating spokes 55b and an outercylindrical flange 550. The spokes 55b and flange 55c are all moldedintegrally and provide rigidity for the bearing support 55 whileutilizing a minimum amount of material. It should also be noted that theplate 23 is formed with an inwardly turned flange as best shown in FIG.3 to provide additional rigidity between the bearing support 55 and theplate 23. The upper bosses 58 correspond to the lower bosses 51 andreceive assembly screws which extend through the housing portion 22 inorder to retain the two housing members in assembled relation.

The switch 44 is supported on the front plate 23 in the upper left handcorner as shown in FIG. 5. The switch 44 is made with most of itssupporting portions formed as part of the plastic molded to the plate23. This supporting portion consists of a base block 61 having fiveoutwardly extending projections 62 as shown in FIG. 5. Received betweenand supported by the projections 62 are two flexible switch members 63and 64. The lower ends of the switch members 63 and 64 are connected tosuitable leads which connect the motor field coil 42 and the switch 44in series across the two conductors of cord 29. The switch members 63and 64 are formed at their outer ends with channel shaped bends 63a and64a which form contact portions of the switch members 63 and 64respectively. The upper end of the switch member 64 is bent overandpositioned to be engaged by a flexible contact actuating member 65.The contact actuating member 65 is formed of a flexible plastic materialanchored at its lower end to the base block 61 with the portionextending from the base block being free to flex as the outer end isdeflected against the switch member 64 causing the contacts 63a and 64ato close.

For the purpose of operating the switch 44 there is provided a button 66which is slidably supported in the top wall of housing 12 having anouter portion 66a positioned outside of the housing 12 and an interiorportion 66b lying within the enclosure 25. Interconnecting the portions66a and 66b of the button 66 is a flat shankportion 66c which isslidably received in a slot 67 formed in the upper wall of the housingportion 22 as is best shown in FIG. 9. The slot 67 is open toward thefront of the appliance 11 with this open side of the slot 67 beingclosed by the plate 23 to retain the button 66 trapped in assembledrelationship to the housing 12. As mounted in the slot 67 the button 66is mounted for limited vertical sliding movement and is biased to itsuppermost position by the resilience of the contact actuating member 65.When the motor 13 is to be energized, the button 66 is depressed causingthe interior portion 66b to deflect the contact actuating member 65which in turn moves the switch member 64 into engagement with the switchmember 63.

To provide double insulation for the appliance 11 and reduce thepossibility of any electric partwithin the enclosure 25 from beingshorted against the metallic portion of the front plate 23 the plasticmolded to the interior of the plate extends completely behind the switch44 and the coil 43 as shown in FIG. 5. In addition, the switch 44 isprovided with an integrally formed wall 68 which provides additionalshielding between the switch members 63 and 64 and the outside wall ofthe housing portion 22.

The feed wheel shaft has been described above as journaled in thebearing support 55 which is molded integrally to the front plate 23. Theshaft 15 is threaded at its outer end to receive the feed wheel 16 whichhas a serrated outer periphery 'to engage the lip of a can and rotateit. Positioned adjacent to the rear face of the feed wheel 16 is athrust washer 70 which bears against the plastic portion of the frontplate 23 providing a bearing surface against which the axial force onthe feed wheel 16 is directed.

The rearwardly extending end of the shaft 15 is formed with an enlargeddiameter bearing portion 71 which is joumaled at 55d in the bearingsupport 55 as best shown in FIG. 3. The end of the shaft 15 adjacent thebearing portion 71 extends through an opening in the gear 49 with theend of the shaft being staked into retaining engagement with the rearface of the gear 49. The opening in the gear 49 and themating portion ofthe shaft 15 extending therethrough are circular with flatted edges tokey the gear to the shaft and prevent relative rotation.

In order to insure the proper spacing between the stub shaft 48 and thefeed wheel shaft 15 so that the pinion 47 and the gear 49 are in gooddriving engagement, a bracket 72 is provided, which bracket has flangedopenings 72a and 72b which are received on supports concentric with theshafts 48 and 15respectively. The shaft 48 is provided with a plasticbushing 73 which is press fitted on the shaft 48 and is received withinthe flanged opening 720 as shown in FIG. 4. The other end of the bracket72 is received on the rearwardly directed end of the cylindrical portion55a of the bearing support 55. The bracket 72 thus assures that theshafts 48 and 15 will remain properly spaced and parallel even thoughthere might be some tendency otherwise for the front plate 23 to flexthereby changing the distance between the axis of the shafts 48 and 15.A helical spring 74 is positioned at the upper end of the bracket 72 asshown in FIG. 4. The spring 74 is compressed between the bracket 72 andthe gear 49 whereby it exerts a force axially on the shaft 15 therebytaking up any play in the shaft 15 with respect to its mounting in thebearing support 55. The spring 74 is held co-axially with the shaft 15by the integral flange forming the opening 72b on the bracket 72.

The cutting mechanism 18 with its associated lever 19 and cutter issupported on the housing 12 by means of a horizontally projecting bosson stub shaft 75 which is secured to the upper end of the front plate 23as best shown in FIG. 4. The stub shaft 75 has a reduced diametermounting portion 75a which extends through opening 76 in the front plate23. The mounting portion 75a also extends through a hardened steelwasher 77 and is staked over to secure the mounting shaft 75 securely tothe front plate 23. The washer 77 is necessary to distribute the load tothe plate 23 so that the shaft 75 would not be torn loose by the forceacting on the cutter 20.

The cutting mechanism 18 is an extremely simple device including onlythe lever 19, the cutter 20 and a biasing spring 79 and release button80. The few number of parts is possible because of the manner in whichthe parts are supported relative to the appliance l1 and the manner inwhich the cutter 20 serves a dual function as cutter and latch toreleasably retain the cutting mechanism 18 with respect to the housing12.

The lever 19 consists of a handle portion 81 and a cover portion 82. Thecover portion is shown separately in FIG. 10 and consists basically ofaplastic plate which over overlies the handle portion 81 and retains thecutter 20 and the biasing spring 79 trapped within the pockets formed inthe handle portion 81.

As shown in FIG. 10 the cover portion 82 is formed with an opening 83through which the mounting shaft extends. In addition, there are a pairof hook shaped assembly lugs 84 in upper corners as shown in FIG. 10.The hook shaped lugs 84 extend through corresponding slots 85 in thehandle portion 81 as is shown in the sectional view of FIG. 7. In orderto assemble the cover portion to the handle portion 81 the lugs 84 areengaged as shown in FIG. 7 and the bottom of the cover portion 82 isswung into engagement with the handle portion 81 at which time alocating and assembly boss 86 on the cover portion 82 extends into anopening 87 in the handle portion 81 and a screw 88 secures the portions81 and 82 in assembled relation.

As is best shown in FIG. 11 the handle portion 81 is formed with aseries of shaped recesses or pockets which receive and support thebiasing spring 79, the release button 80 and the cutter 20. To simplifythe showing of FIG. 11 the cutter 20 which is shown in FIG. 6 has beeneliminated therefrom. The spring 79 is formed at one end with a coil 79awhich surrounds a post 89 formed in a transversely extending slot 90 inwhich the spring 79 is free to flex. It should be understood that theslot 90 extends generally transversely parallel to the length of thehandle portion 81 but is interrupted at its center by a shallowdepression 91 within which the cutter 20 is received and also a deeperrecess 92 within which the release button 80 is received. With the coverportion 82 assembled to the handle portion 81, the release button 80 isreceived in the slot 92 wherein it is permitted limited vertical slidingmovement with its bottom end in engagement with the cutter 20. Thecutter 20 in turn is received within the shallow pocket 91 wherein itmay rotate approximately 25 and in addition may slide vertically underthe influence of the release button 80. The spring 79 on the other handis mounted so that it is engaged under a forwardly projecting lug 93formed integrally with the cutter 20. The spring 79 thus urges thecutter 20 to its uppermost position and in addition tends to deflect thecutter 20 clockwise about the mounting shaft 75 as shown in FIG. 6wherein it assumes the vertical position shown therein.

Considering now the cutter 20 as shown in FIG. 8, it includes a centralkeyhole shaped opening 94 which has an upper portion 94a and a narrowlower portion 94b. The oval portion 940 is of such a dimension that themounting shaft 75 may easily extend therethrough. The shaft 75, however,has a front beveled portion 75b and an annular groove 750 which isadapted to receive the latching means which retains the cuttingmechanism 18 assembled to the housing 12. This latching means comprisesthe cutter 20. When the cutting mechanism is applied to the mountingshaft 75, the end of the shaft 75 is first inserted into an opening 95on the handle portion 81 of the lever 19. Further insertion of the shaft75 causes the bevel 75b to engage in the opening 94 thus deflecting thecutter 20 downwardly until the oval portion 94a is sufficiently inregistery with the shaft 75 so that it may progress through the cutter20 and through the opening 83 in the cover portion 82. As the cutterassembly moves against the housing 12, the cutter 20 under the influenceof spring 79 is biased upwardly into the slot 75c which is of suitablediameter to receive the portion 94b of the cutter 20. As so assembled tothe mounting shaft 75, the cutting mechanism is retained thereon againstaxial detachment by the cutter which serves as a latch. Upon depressingthe release button 80, the cutter 20 is deflected downwardly therebypermitting removal of the cutting mechanism 18 from the mounting shaft75.

In order to prevent deformation of the spring 79 beyond its elasticlimit, the cover portion 82 is formed with a ledge or abutment 98 as isbest shown in FIG. 10. This ledge 98 prevents the middle of spring 79from being deflected downwardly too far in instances when the lever 81is raised at the same time when the cutter 20 is stuck in the top of acan.

When the cutting mechanism 18 is assembled to the mounting shaft 75, itis rotatable thereon through an angle of approximately 90, i.e., fromthe can cutting position as shown in FIGS. 1, 4 and 6 to a loadingposition in which the lever 19 extends substantially vertical and thecutter 20 is well spaced from the feed wheel 16. Although the cuttingmechanism 18 pivots as'a unit on the shaft 75,the cutter 20 is alsopermitted limited rotational movement with respect to the lever 19. Asindicated above, the shallow. depression or recess 91 is of such anextent that the cutter 20 can rotate approximately counterclockwise fromthe position shown in FIG. 6.

The cutter 20 has a cutting edge 100 which is beveled on its outer edgeand terminates in a point 101 which is designed to pierce the cover ofthe can at the start of the can opening operation. Positioned adjacentto the cutting edge 100 is a guide 102 which rides along the upper edgeof the can lip and controls the penetration of the cutter into the coverof the can. For the purpose of further stabilizing the can as it isrotated and opened the front plate 23 is provided with a forwardlyprojecting guide post 99 which is disposed slightly above and toftheleft of the feed wheel 16 as shown in FIG. 6. As is evident from FIG. 4the post 99 extends outwardly sufficiently to overlie the top edge ofthe can. The post 99 and the guide 102 in the cutter 20 cooperate tohold the can in an upright position restrained from rocking about thefeed wheel 16 as the can is opened.'The cutter is also formed with stops103 and 104 as best shown in FIG. 8 which engage the adjacent portionsof the lip of the can being opened to limit the sliding and rotationalmovement of the cutter 20 with respect to the can. The stop'103 engagesthe top of the can lip and thus limits penetration of the cutter intothe can cover. The stop 104 rides against the inside of the can lip tomaintain the cutting edge 100 spaced from the lip to provide acontinuous even cut of the cover with no slivers or jagged portions.

The lever 19 is formed with a handle 105 which provides a flat surfaceagainst which the operator of the appliance 11 may apply a downwardforce when rotating the lever 19 from the loading to the can cuttingposition. The handle 105 on its underside engages the button 66 whichthrough switch 44 causes energization of the motor 13. In operating theappliance for opening cans, the lever 19 is rotated counterclockwise. Asviewed in FIG. 1, a can is inserted in a vertical position with theupper lip of the can overhanging the feed wheel 16 and the lever 19 isthen rotated clockwise causing the cutter 20 to be brought downwardlyagainst the cover of the can. As is evident from FIG. 6 the point 101 ofthe cutter 20 would engage the cover of the can well before the lever 19arrived at the position shown therein. In order to prevent operator fromhaving to completely pierce the cover of the can with cutter 20 manuallywithout the aid of the motor 13, the cutter 20 is mounted for about 25of movement relative to the lever 19 as described above. Thus as thecutter engages the cover of the can, the cutter 20 remains restrainedfrom rotating while the lever 19 rotates through the 25 angle at whichtime the handle 105 engages the button 66 and upon further actuationcauses the switch 44 to close and the motor 13 to operate. As the motorrotates the feed wheel 16, a jamming action occurs between point 101 ofthe cutter 20 and the cover of the can. This jamming action results asthe rotation of the can tends to force the cutting edge through thecover and at the same time rotate the cutter to the position shown inFIG. 6..This action occurs since the upper edge of the feed wheel 16 ismoving from right to left as shown in FIG. 6. At this point the rotationof the can with the cover driven into cutting engagement with cutter 20produces a rotational force on the cutting mechanism 18 about the shaft75 thus permitting the operator to release any manual force on thehandle 105 while the reaction force on the cutter 20 maintains theswitch 44 closed until the cutting of the cover has been completed.Although in some instances the dimensional variations in a can coverwill result in the motor not being actuated until the cutter 20 haspierced the can, the completion of the piercing will be accomplished asthe motor begins rotating the can.

One of the novel features of the present invention is the manner inwhich the feed wheel 16 and the cutter 20 are mounted in such a way asto accommodate the dimensional variations which are normally encounteredin cans opened on domestic can openers. Although the mounting shaft 75and the feed wheel shaft 15 are mounted relatively rigidly with respectto the front plate 23, the plate 23 itself is formed of a relativelyflexible material which will deflect to accommodate the different candimensions. In one constructed embodiment of the invention the plate 23was fabricated of cold rolled steel of 0.050 inches thickness with ahardness of Rockwell B 65 which resulted in a deflection of 0.025 inchesin the shaft 75 under normal can opening conditions. This flexure of thefront plate 23 is designed to be within the elastic limit of thematerial and, therefore, provides a simple and effective means ofpermitting the spacing between the cutter 20 and the feed wheel 16 tovary to accommodate different can dimensions. At the same time theinherent flexibility of the front plate 23 necessitated the inclusion ofthe bracket 22 which assures proper axial spacing of the shafts 48 and15. It should be appreciated that the front plate 23 could beconstructed entirely of plastic if such plastic is flexible enough toproduce controlled flexure to accommodate variations in can dimensions.

Also supported on the lever 19 and forming a part of the cuttingmechanism 18 is the lid retainer 107. The lid retainer includes asomewhat channel shaped'plate 108 which carries at its lower end amagnet assembly 109 which is adapted to engage and grip the cover of acan being opened. The upper end of the plate 108 is formed with twospaced somewhat S shaped projections 110 which extend through openings111 in the cover portion 82 into pockets 1 12 formed in the handleportion 81 as is best shown in FIG. 6. The lid retainer 107 may bereadily removed from the lever by simply lifting the outer end andwithdrawing the projections 110 from the openings 111.

One of the more significant advantages flowing from the simple design ofthe cutting mechanism 18 is not readily obvious until one considers theforces operating on the cutter 20. During the can opening operation asubstantial amount of pressure must be exerted between the cutter 20 andthe feed wheel 16 to retain the lip of a can of varying thicknesstherebetween. This force tends to push the bottom of the cutter 20outwardly thus applying a moment to the stub shaft 75. It is important,however, that this force transmitted by the cutter 20 to the stub shaft75 is applied directly to the shaft 75 with no involvement of the lever81. The annular groove 75c which engages in the keyhole shaped slot 94provides a rigid connection for transmitting this moment from the cutter20- to the shaft 75. As a consequence the lever 81 need only transmit aminimal force to the cutter 20 sufficient to at least initiate thepiercing of the can by the point 101. Because of this limited demandplaced on the lever 82, it is possible to further reduce the cost of thecutting mechanism 18 by making the lever 81 of an inexpensive plasticmaterial.

While there has been shown and described a single embodiment of thepresent invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art thatnumerous changes and modifications may occur, and it is intended in theappended claims to cover all such changes and modifications which fallwithin the true spirit and scope of the present invention.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent ofthe United States is:

l. A motor driven can opener of the type having a housing enclosing anelectric motor which is drivingly connected to a can rotating means andcutting means movably mounted on said housing for engagement with thetop of a can being opened, the improvement comprising pivot meansprojecting from said housing, a manually operable lever mounted on saidpivot means for rotation thereon, a cutter supported on said lever androtatable therewith into and out of engagement with the cover of a can,said cutter being mounted for slidable and rotatable movement withrespect to said lever, said cutter engaging said pivot means to retainsaid lever against axial movement with respect to said pivot means andbeing slidable to disengage said cutter from said pivot means andrelease said lever for axial movement with respect to and fordisengagement from said pivot means to removably support said lever andcutter with respect to said housing.

2. The can opener of claim 1 wherein said lever comprises a pair ofspaced plates with said cutter being received in a recess therebetween,manually operable release means supported for slidable movement betweensaid plates in engagement with said cutter, spring means biasing saidcutter and said release into latching engagement with said pivot means.i

3. The can opener of claim 1 wherein said cutter is formed with akeyhole-shaped slot, the width of the wide portion of said slot beinglarger than the diameter of said pivot means, a peripheral groove formedin said pivot means, the diameter of said pivot means at said groovebeing less than the width of the narrow portion of said slot, saidcutter being movable between a latching position in retaining engagementwith said pivot means and a release position in which said lever andsaid cutter may be removed from said pivot means, said cutter in saidlatching position being received in said groove with said pivot means atthe narrow portion of said keyhole-shaped slot.

4. The can opener of claim 2 wherein said spring means comprises anelongated spring restrained at its opposite ends between said plates,means on said cutter engaging the midpoint of said spring, said springurging said cutter into latching engagement with said pivot means.

5. The can opener of claim 4 wherein said lever is formed with spacedabutments which permit limited pivotal movement of said cutter withrespect to said lever about said pivot means, said spring beingdeflected by said means on said cutter as said cutter is rotated in adirection opposite to the direction in which it is rotated by thecutting action on the cover ofa can.

6. A can opener comprising support means mounting a motor operated canrotating wheel and a movable cutting mechanism in juxtaposition to gripa can and to sever the cover as it is rotated, said cutting mechanismincluding a lever mounted for pivotal movement about a fixed axis onsaid support means, a cutter carried by said lever and movable by saidlever between a retracted position in which it is radially spaced fromsaid wheel to a cutting position in which it overlaps said wheel, saidcutter being supported for limited pivotal movement with respect to saidlever about said fixed axis, motor actuating means to drive said wheelwhen said lever is rotated to the cutting position for said cutter,during the opening of a can said can engages said cutter to rotate saidlever to continuously operate said motor actuating means until saidcover is severed from said can, spring means biasing said cutter to saidoverlapping position with respect to said wheel when said lever is inengagement with said motor actuating means, said cutter being rotatablein opposition to said spring means by the engagement with said can coverso that said lever may operate said actuating means prior to said cutterpiercing said cover or moving to said overlapping position.

7. The can opener of claim 6 wherein said cutting mechanism is readilydetachable from said support means, said cutter being mounted on saidlever for movement radially of said fixed axis to releasably latch saidmechanism with respect to said support means.

8. The can opener of claim 7 wherein said spring means biases saidcutter into latching engagement with bearing means extending from saidsupport means, manually operable means on said lever for displacing saidcutter radially of said fixed axis against the biasing force of saidspring means to unlatch said cutter from said bearing means permittingsaid mechanism to be detached from said support means by moving itaxially with respect to said bearing means.

9. The can opener of claim 7 wherein said cutter comprises a platesupported on said lever for rotatable and slidable movement in a planeperpendicular to said fixed axis, said bearing means being a bossprojecting from said support means through an opening in said cutter,said boss having an annular groove within which said cutter is receivedto latch said mechanism against detachment from said support means.

10. The can opener of claim 6 wherein said cutting mechanism comprises apair of spaced plate members clamped together in abutting relation witha space formed therebetween to support said cutter for slidablemovement, said bearing means comprising a boss extending through saidlever and said cutter, said lever and cutter pivoting on said boss andsaid cutter being movable radially of said boss to detachably retainsaid mechanism with respect to said support means.

111. A motor operated can opener of the type having a power operated canrotating wheel for turning a can the top of which is engaged by a fixedcutter to sever the top from the can, the improvement comprising avertical frame plate supporting a can cutting mechanism and a canrotating wheel in vertically spaced relation, said wheel being mountedon the end of a first shaft journaled on said frame plate, a secondshaft positioned above said first shaft and secured rigidly to saidplate, said second shaft supporting said cutting mechanism including acutter which overlaps with said wheel to grip the side wall of a cantherebetween, said first and second shafts being parallel and on a fixedaxial spacing, said frame plate being flexible between said first andsecond shafts to vary the spacing of said cutter and said wheel onlythrough the flexure of said plate between said first and second shaftsto accommodate cans of various dimensions therebetween.

12. The can opener of claim 111 wherein said frame plate is formed of aflexible metallic sheet, plastic portions molded integrally to saidmetallic sheet to form can guides and supports for said first shaft andfor a motor mounted to said plate in driving connection with said firstshaft.

13. The can opener of claim 11 including a motor supported on said frameplate, reduction gearing drivingly interconnecting said motor and saidfirst shaft, a rigid bracket extending between said motor and said firstshaft to prevent variation in the spacing between said first shaft andsaid motor.

14. The can opener of claim 11 wherein said reduction gearing includes adouble reduction having an intermediate shaft between said first shaftand the output shaft of said motor, said intermediate shaft beingsupported on said motor field and journaling a gear and pinion whichdrivingly interconnect said output shaft and said first shaft, saidbracket extending between said intermediate shaft and said first shaft.

15. The can opener of claim 11 wherein said can cutting mechanismincludes a lever journaled on said second shaft separately from saidcutter whereby the force exerted outwardly on said cutter by said can istransmitted directly from said cutter to said second shaft and nottransmitted through said lever.

1. A motor driven can opener of the type having a housing enclosing anelectric motor which is drivingly connected to a can rotating means andcutting means movably mounted on said housing for engagement with thetop of a can being opened, the improvement comprising pivot meansprojecting from said housing, a manually operable lever mounted on saidpivot means for rotation thereon, a cutter supported on said lever androtatable therewith into and out of engagement with the cover of a can,said cutter being mounted for slidable and rotatable movement withrespect to said lever, said cutter engaging said pivot means to retainsaid lever against axial movement with respect to said pivot means andbeing slidable to disengage said cutter from said pivot means andrelease said lever for axial movement with respect to and fordisengagement from said pivot means to removably support said lever andcutter with respect to said housing.
 2. The can opener of claim 1wherein said lever comprises a pair of spaced plates with said cutterbeing received in a recess therebetween, manually operable release meanssupported for slidable movement between said plates in engagement withsaid cutter, spring means biasing said cutter and said release intolatching engagement with said pivot means.
 3. The can opener of claim 1wherein said cutter is formed with a keyhole-shaped slot, the width ofthe wide portion of said slot being larger than the diameter of saidpivot means, a peripheral groove formed in said pivot means, thediameter of said pivot means at said groove being less than the width ofthe narrow portion of said slot, said cutter being movable between alatching position in retaining engagement with said pivot means and arelease position in which said lever and said cutter may be removed fromsaid pivot means, said cutter in said latching position being receivedin said groove with said pivot means at the narrow portion of saidkeyhole-shaped slot.
 4. The can opener of claim 2 wherein said springmeans comprises an elongated spring restrained at its opposite endsbetween said plates, means on said cutter engaging the midpoint of saIdspring, said spring urging said cutter into latching engagement withsaid pivot means.
 5. The can opener of claim 4 wherein said lever isformed with spaced abutments which permit limited pivotal movement ofsaid cutter with respect to said lever about said pivot means, saidspring being deflected by said means on said cutter as said cutter isrotated in a direction opposite to the direction in which it is rotatedby the cutting action on the cover of a can.
 6. A can opener comprisingsupport means mounting a motor operated can rotating wheel and a movablecutting mechanism in juxtaposition to grip a can and to sever the coveras it is rotated, said cutting mechanism including a lever mounted forpivotal movement about a fixed axis on said support means, a cuttercarried by said lever and movable by said lever between a retractedposition in which it is radially spaced from said wheel to a cuttingposition in which it overlaps said wheel, said cutter being supportedfor limited pivotal movement with respect to said lever about said fixedaxis, motor actuating means to drive said wheel when said lever isrotated to the cutting position for said cutter, during the opening of acan said can engages said cutter to rotate said lever to continuouslyoperate said motor actuating means until said cover is severed from saidcan, spring means biasing said cutter to said overlapping position withrespect to said wheel when said lever is in engagement with said motoractuating means, said cutter being rotatable in opposition to saidspring means by the engagement with said can cover so that said levermay operate said actuating means prior to said cutter piercing saidcover or moving to said overlapping position.
 7. The can opener of claim6 wherein said cutting mechanism is readily detachable from said supportmeans, said cutter being mounted on said lever for movement radially ofsaid fixed axis to releasably latch said mechanism with respect to saidsupport means.
 8. The can opener of claim 7 wherein said spring meansbiases said cutter into latching engagement with bearing means extendingfrom said support means, manually operable means on said lever fordisplacing said cutter radially of said fixed axis against the biasingforce of said spring means to unlatch said cutter from said bearingmeans permitting said mechanism to be detached from said support meansby moving it axially with respect to said bearing means.
 9. The canopener of claim 7 wherein said cutter comprises a plate supported onsaid lever for rotatable and slidable movement in a plane perpendicularto said fixed axis, said bearing means being a boss projecting from saidsupport means through an opening in said cutter, said boss having anannular groove within which said cutter is received to latch saidmechanism against detachment from said support means.
 10. The can openerof claim 6 wherein said cutting mechanism comprises a pair of spacedplate members clamped together in abutting relation with a space formedtherebetween to support said cutter for slidable movement, said bearingmeans comprising a boss extending through said lever and said cutter,said lever and cutter pivoting on said boss and said cutter beingmovable radially of said boss to detachably retain said mechanism withrespect to said support means.
 11. A motor operated can opener of thetype having a power operated can rotating wheel for turning a can thetop of which is engaged by a fixed cutter to sever the top from the can,the improvement comprising a vertical frame plate supporting a cancutting mechanism and a can rotating wheel in vertically spacedrelation, said wheel being mounted on the end of a first shaft journaledon said frame plate, a second shaft positioned above said first shaftand secured rigidly to said plate, said second shaft supporting saidcutting mechanism including a cutter which overlaps with said wheel togrip the side wall of a can therebetween, said first and second shaftsbeing parallel and on A fixed axial spacing, said frame plate beingflexible between said first and second shafts to vary the spacing ofsaid cutter and said wheel only through the flexure of said platebetween said first and second shafts to accommodate cans of variousdimensions therebetween.
 12. The can opener of claim 11 wherein saidframe plate is formed of a flexible metallic sheet, plastic portionsmolded integrally to said metallic sheet to form can guides and supportsfor said first shaft and for a motor mounted to said plate in drivingconnection with said first shaft.
 13. The can opener of claim 11including a motor supported on said frame plate, reduction gearingdrivingly interconnecting said motor and said first shaft, a rigidbracket extending between said motor and said first shaft to preventvariation in the spacing between said first shaft and said motor. 14.The can opener of claim 11 wherein said reduction gearing includes adouble reduction having an intermediate shaft between said first shaftand the output shaft of said motor, said intermediate shaft beingsupported on said motor field and journaling a gear and pinion whichdrivingly interconnect said output shaft and said first shaft, saidbracket extending between said intermediate shaft and said first shaft.15. The can opener of claim 11 wherein said can cutting mechanismincludes a lever journaled on said second shaft separately from saidcutter whereby the force exerted outwardly on said cutter by said can istransmitted directly from said cutter to said second shaft and nottransmitted through said lever.